Jets: Andrew Furney garnering notice

By J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER |

The Record

CORTLAND, N.Y. — There weren’t many people in the stands and the game didn’t count in the standings, but to Andrew Furney, there was a storybook element to his decisive 51-yard field goal in the Jets’ win over Indianapolis on Thursday night.

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Andrew Furney, center, kicked a 51-yard field goal with 1:08 to go as Jets defeated Colts in preseason game Thursday.

"How many people can say their first kick in the NFL is a game-winner?" Furney asked Saturday after practice at SUNY Cortland. "It’s crazy."

file photo by chris pedota/staff photographer

Incumbent kicker Nick Folk signed a four-year deal in the off-season that guarantees him $2.1 million.

Yet for all his exuberance, the rookie free agent is quite pragmatic. He realizes full well that though this fairy tale may have a happy ending, it almost certainly won’t be with the Jets.

That’s because incumbent kicker Nick Folk, who has handled those duties for the Jets for the past four seasons, signed a four-year deal in the off-season that includes $2.1 million in guaranteed money. So barring something unforeseen, such as an injury to Folk, Furney’s big moment will serve only as a banner advertisement for some other NFL team searching for a kicker.

"I’m thankful for the opportunity," Furney said. "[Kicker] is one of those positions that’s hard to crack, so getting a camp invite like this is huge whether you’ve got a guy like Nick Folk with a new contract or not.

"It’s a good opportunity for me," he added, "to stay in that carousel and kind of stay fresh in people’s minds."

Furney, who went 16-for-20 on field-goal attempts with a long of 52 yards as a senior at Washington State last season, already is very familiar with that carousel, as he calls it. Like almost all kickers, he went undrafted, and spent the spring trying to get a look-see.

He thought he might sign with Houston right after the draft, but that fell through. Soon afterward, he got invited as a tryout to Seattle’s rookie minicamp, but wasn’t signed.

"They liked me," said Furney, who earned a degree in marketing and finance at WSU. "It just wasn’t a good fit."

Next, Furney turned his attention to the Jets. He said his agent, Robert Sheets, knows some people in the Jets’ organization. Furney also had an ally in assistant special teams coach Louie Aguiar, who knew Furney from once tutoring him at a kicking camp.

But though those contacts may have helped him get a foot in the door, Furney kicked it open himself by beating out two other hopefuls during a workout at the Jets’ Florham Park facility in June, and then impressing as a tryout player at the team’s veteran minicamp over a week later.

Even with an established and well-paid kicker such as Folk on the roster, it’s good to have another during training camp so the veteran isn’t overworked, given the amount of special teams drills that take place. In NFL parlance, Furney is a "camp leg."

"If that’s the term," Furney said. "I’m happy to be it right now."

And he was even happier when he made that kick with 1:08 remaining Thursday.

"I’ve made that kick many times in practice," he said, adding his thought process was, "same routine, same kick. Just drill it through."

"I know how excited he was. I was excited for him," said holder and backup punter Jacob Schum, who is trying to unseat Ryan Quigley and certainly can sympathize with Furney’s situation.

"We do this every day," Schum said. "It’s another rep."

Maybe so, but Furney realized it wasn’t shortly after the game.

"It kind of hit me when I was on the bus afterward," he said, smiling. "That really happened."

And it could help make Furney’s NFL career happen. Just not with the Jets.

Jets: Andrew Furney garnering notice

Andrew Furney, center, kicked a 51-yard field goal with 1:08 to go as Jets defeated Colts in preseason game Thursday.

By J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER |

The Record

CORTLAND, N.Y. — There weren’t many people in the stands and the game didn’t count in the standings, but to Andrew Furney, there was a storybook element to his decisive 51-yard field goal in the Jets’ win over Indianapolis on Thursday night.

"How many people can say their first kick in the NFL is a game-winner?" Furney asked Saturday after practice at SUNY Cortland. "It’s crazy."

Incumbent kicker Nick Folk signed a four-year deal in the off-season that guarantees him $2.1 million.

Yet for all his exuberance, the rookie free agent is quite pragmatic. He realizes full well that though this fairy tale may have a happy ending, it almost certainly won’t be with the Jets.

That’s because incumbent kicker Nick Folk, who has handled those duties for the Jets for the past four seasons, signed a four-year deal in the off-season that includes $2.1 million in guaranteed money. So barring something unforeseen, such as an injury to Folk, Furney’s big moment will serve only as a banner advertisement for some other NFL team searching for a kicker.

"I’m thankful for the opportunity," Furney said. "[Kicker] is one of those positions that’s hard to crack, so getting a camp invite like this is huge whether you’ve got a guy like Nick Folk with a new contract or not.

"It’s a good opportunity for me," he added, "to stay in that carousel and kind of stay fresh in people’s minds."

Furney, who went 16-for-20 on field-goal attempts with a long of 52 yards as a senior at Washington State last season, already is very familiar with that carousel, as he calls it. Like almost all kickers, he went undrafted, and spent the spring trying to get a look-see.

He thought he might sign with Houston right after the draft, but that fell through. Soon afterward, he got invited as a tryout to Seattle’s rookie minicamp, but wasn’t signed.

"They liked me," said Furney, who earned a degree in marketing and finance at WSU. "It just wasn’t a good fit."

Next, Furney turned his attention to the Jets. He said his agent, Robert Sheets, knows some people in the Jets’ organization. Furney also had an ally in assistant special teams coach Louie Aguiar, who knew Furney from once tutoring him at a kicking camp.

But though those contacts may have helped him get a foot in the door, Furney kicked it open himself by beating out two other hopefuls during a workout at the Jets’ Florham Park facility in June, and then impressing as a tryout player at the team’s veteran minicamp over a week later.

Even with an established and well-paid kicker such as Folk on the roster, it’s good to have another during training camp so the veteran isn’t overworked, given the amount of special teams drills that take place. In NFL parlance, Furney is a "camp leg."

"If that’s the term," Furney said. "I’m happy to be it right now."

And he was even happier when he made that kick with 1:08 remaining Thursday.

"I’ve made that kick many times in practice," he said, adding his thought process was, "same routine, same kick. Just drill it through."

"I know how excited he was. I was excited for him," said holder and backup punter Jacob Schum, who is trying to unseat Ryan Quigley and certainly can sympathize with Furney’s situation.

"We do this every day," Schum said. "It’s another rep."

Maybe so, but Furney realized it wasn’t shortly after the game.

"It kind of hit me when I was on the bus afterward," he said, smiling. "That really happened."

And it could help make Furney’s NFL career happen. Just not with the Jets.